COVERED 2024 Winter

35 @TRENTBRIDGE CORE CITIES “HAVING EID PRAYERS ON THE PITCH FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS EXTREMELY SPECIAL. TO THOSE WHO CAME, IT WAS AN AWE- INSPIRING EXPERIENCE, NOT TO MENTION THAT MANY PEOPLE OF THEIR FAITH HAVE, OF COURSE, PLAYED ON THIS FIELD.” Farah Khan perfect combination. I knew that this was the job for me.” Whether playing, spectating, or volun- teering, the task in Farah’s hands is to engage more people from diverse back- grounds with both cricket itself and Trent Bridge as a community venue. This requires her to build relationships with local community organisations, charities and businesses, big and small. And in a short space of time, Farah has formed a network of over 50 different partnerships – some inspiringly unique. From hosting Eid prayers on the outfield to packing food bank parcels with Lord’s Taverners Super 1s (a disability engagement programme), and holding a bat design competition in celebration of England’s Test Match againstWest Indies, Farah’s work in, around and far beyond the walls of Trent Bridge is connecting a wealth of communities. Some of the people with whom she connects have either little knowledge of cricket, or have never encountered it at all, but Farah is using the sport -– and the warm, welcoming environment so typical of Trent Bridge – to build trust in the communities which surround the fabled ground. “Building trusting relationships is massively important,” she says. “Being proactive and delivering what we say we will deliver are both a huge part in building this trust, because people then see that we are putting in the effort to be involved in their activities, and they feel welcome within our Trent Bridge family. “Having Eid prayers on the pitch for the first time was extremely special,” she continues. “To those who came, it was an awe-inspiring experience, not to mention that many people of their faith have, of course, played on this field. “What that event actually did was open many avenues, because lots of people suddenly realised that we are here, and that there are lots of ways in which we invite them to come and be involved with us.”